San Juan Capistrano

Huntington Beach's Heidi Tschanner rode to a second-place finish Sunday at the Wahine Women's Surf Series event in Huntington Beach. Tschanner maneuvered her way through 4- to 6-foot swells under good conditions to place second behind winner Alison Cutler of Ventura, who also won the Ladies Shortboard event. Other winners Sunday included Rachel Bellows (Seal Beach) in Girls' Longboard (12 & Under); Jenny Quam (San Juan Capistrano) in Junior Women; Mariah Wilson (Lakewood)

Huntington Beach residents can join in honoring their Native American ancestors and the earth with a pilgrimage across the Bolsa Chica Mesa. Bolsa Chica will be the location of two events Saturday at the 14th annual Pilgrimage of the Gabrielino/Tongva and Juaneno/Acjachemen people. A gathering at Bolsa Chica will happen at noon and 1:30 p.m. Participants should meet in the parking lot off Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue to walk across the Bolsa Chica Mesa to the memorial gardens.

The H.B. Flame Throwers, which won the AYSO Region 56 Under-10 Division championship, claimed the Area 11-K Under-10 Division tournament title Saturday by shutting out the H.B. Trojans, 3-0, in a rain-soaked final. Aaron Rakhshani gave the Flame Throwers a 1-0 lead, scoring off a pass across the middle by Joey De Marco. The other two goals were towering shots by Madison Hayden. In four Area 11-K games, the Flame Throwers outscored their opponents, 18-0.

The HB Lightning girls' soccer team out of AYSO Region 143 (Westminster/Huntington Beach), captured first place last weekend at the Irvine Cup girls' older division tournament. In pool play, the HB Lightning defeated San Juan Capistrano (2-0) and Chino Hills (2-1) and tied Burbank, 2-2, in three closely contested matches. In the championship match against Upland, the HB Lightning fell behind, 1-0, came back to take a 3-1 second-half lead, only to be tied up at 3-3 with three minutes to play in regulation.

-- Andrew Wainer A Huntington Beach Union High School District bond election brought activists from both sides of the issue out into the political arena. But in spite of months of planning and campaigning, the bond was defeated Nov. 9. Led by district Supt. Susan Roper, the pro-bond activists patched together a powerful coalition of business, educational and political personalities who lobbied in support of the $137-million school repair bond.

A man who may have worked at medical facilities in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley has been convicted of using a stolen identity to work as a physician assistant and treating a patient without a license. Steve Armand Martinez, 60, of San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to four felony counts of the unauthorized practice of medicine, six felony counts of prescribing medication without a license, two felony counts of identity theft, one felony count of grand theft, one felony count of theft with a prior conviction, one misdemeanor count of identity theft with the intent to defraud, and one misdemeanor count of misrepresenting himself as a physician assistant.

Huntington Beach residents can join in honoring their Native American ancestors and the earth with a pilgrimage across the Bolsa Chica Mesa. Bolsa Chica will be the location of two events Saturday at the 14th annual Pilgrimage of the Gabrielino/Tongva and Juaneno/Acjachemen people. A gathering at Bolsa Chica will happen at noon and 1:30 p.m. Participants should meet in the parking lot off Pacific Coast Highway and Warner Avenue to walk across the Bolsa Chica Mesa to the memorial gardens.

A man who may have worked at medical facilities in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley has been convicted of using a stolen identity to work as a physician assistant and treating a patient without a license. Steve Armand Martinez, 60, of San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to four felony counts of the unauthorized practice of medicine, six felony counts of prescribing medication without a license, two felony counts of identity theft, one felony count of grand theft, one felony count of theft with a prior conviction, one misdemeanor count of identity theft with the intent to defraud, and one misdemeanor count of misrepresenting himself as a physician assistant.

The USA Strikers got even with the Portuguese Hot Sauce Saturday with a 2-1 victory in AYSO boys' Under-10 Division play. Earlier in the season, the Strikers lost to the Hot Sauce. Following a scoreless first quarter, Strikers forward Drew Truxaw found an open Walker Thurston, who in turn sent a powerful shot into the net to give his squad a 1-0 lead. A few minutes later, Hot Sauce defender Jordan Thomas came up with a steal, passed off to halfback Garrett Babbitt, who then sent a deep pass to Logan Steinle.

I hold essay contests for students at the Orange County Conservation Corps who would like to go on a field trip with me. I choose two winners based on the quality of their essays and two from a random drawing of entrants. That way, all have a chance of attending, regardless of their English skills. I recently took four winners on a field trip to Mission San Juan Capistrano. The students were to learn about early California history and the lifestyles of the padres, Spanish soldiers, and Native Americans during the Mission Era. My first-place winner was Michael Martinez, known to students and teachers alike as SpongeBob.

As a career airline pilot, Lt. Bill Dickey spent most of his time out of the public eye. But when the opportunity arose to show off his looks, Bill Dickey jumped at the chance. His employer, Trans World Airlines, featured him in a company commercial in which he pinned miniature plastic wings on a child's shirt. "He loved to fly," said Don Dickey, Bill's brother. "He enjoyed taking his friends on board. He fell in love with the air." A decorated World War II hero, Bill Dickey died Aug. 3 of Alzheimer's disease.

Dave Brooks Andrew Carter has traded in the rock arena for the coffee shop. Once a major label contender with two Orange County pop bands, the 31-year-old Surf City native now finds himself hawking his latest self-produced album at open mike nights and neighborhood taverns; the thundering applause of a night club replaced by a few appreciative handclaps and the occasionally nod. His new band andrewesley -- his...

My wife and I went down to Main Street one Sunday afternoon. When we first got there I met one of the merchants who was complaining about how filthy our Downtown was. I was kidding him that he must be exaggerating. We took off to inspect all of Main Street from the third block to Pacific Coast Highway. What a filthy sight -- trash in the street and all over the sidewalks, cigarette butts by the hundreds in front of Starbucks and the Sugar Shack Cafe, sidewalks that look like they haven't been cleaned for ages and trash in the shrubberies.

The H.B. Flame Throwers, which won the AYSO Region 56 Under-10 Division championship, claimed the Area 11-K Under-10 Division tournament title Saturday by shutting out the H.B. Trojans, 3-0, in a rain-soaked final. Aaron Rakhshani gave the Flame Throwers a 1-0 lead, scoring off a pass across the middle by Joey De Marco. The other two goals were towering shots by Madison Hayden. In four Area 11-K games, the Flame Throwers outscored their opponents, 18-0.